


Altitude

by Zabbie



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Batfamily (DCU), Demisexual Tim Drake, Getting Together, Gotham City - Freeform, Jason kind of helps maybe? Or makes it worse?, Kon has feelings and is bad at it, Kon-El | Conner Kent is Superboy, Kon-El | Conner Kent-centric, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Songfic, They fight a lot in the comics so I had them shout at each other haha, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Tim has feelings and is even worse about it, Wayne Gala, We love a gala, batfam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:34:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29915580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zabbie/pseuds/Zabbie
Summary: Tim invites Kon to a Wayne Gala and then ditches him by the snack table.Misunderstandings and highjinks ensue.Based off the song Altitude by Mal Blum but it ends happy i promise
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	Altitude

Chandeliers glittered above the heads of the gala attendees, hung so high you’d have to crane your neck all the way back to really get a good look at the faceted crystals on most of them. A steady downfall of rain fell outside, making it difficult to see much of Gotham’s colorful nightlife beyond the hazy city lights and inky darkness that swallowed them as they flickered, like ships lost at sea. Or not. Did that even make sense? Kon wasn’t a poet.

The venue for the gala was a large building, the walls comprised of grand windows with thick glass that reached up a few stories to tall ceilings. Kon kicked his shoes against the floor, not caring if they scuffed. He was stood by a table covered in tiny sandwiches, spinach pastries, and other variety of small party foods for the peckish party-goer. By this time of night most of the Gotham socialites had already eaten and only stopped by for the odd nibble, then to wash it down with a champagne flute from a passing server’s tray.

His fingers picked at the table cloth without him really noticing, chewing on his bottom lip as he looked around the room of chatty rich people in fancy dress. He looked down at his own outfit, a dark blue suit that had once been Clark’s. He’d had to borrow it for the event. It’s not that it didn’t fit, Clark and Conner quite literally had the same body, even if Conners was a bit smaller due to his youth. So no, it’s not that it didn’t _fit_ Conner, as much as he just didn’t feel right in it. He stopped picking at the table cloth to mess with his cuff links, his turbulent thoughts drowning out the idle chatter and clinking of glasses. Was he even wearing the right thing? God this was embarrassing, standing alone by the snack table like this. Where the fuck was Rob?

He started to twist the cuff links a little faster as his eyes scanned the room, his gaze slowly turning into a glare in his frustration. He must look like a total chump. When Tim had asked if he wanted to attend a Wayne Gala with him Kon had thought...

A warmth began to fill his face but the glare remained. He’d at least thought it had meant something. Maybe that was dumb of him. It’s not that he thought it was officially a date or anything but he thought it meant _something_.

Tim had been dancing around him for weeks it seemed like. Kon was starting to wonder if that meant Tim was shy or if he actually just didn’t wanna be Kon’s friend anymore and he’d read the situation completely wrong. After all Tim was a pretty busy guy wasn’t he? Maybe he actually preferred being around all these people with their obnoxious jewelry and fake smiles.

Kon had even been hopeful when they’d entered the gala together, Tim in a black suit with a burgundy dress shirt, laughing at something Kon had said about Ma trying to take out his earring for the event. It had made Kon’s stomach flip to make Timothy Drake-Wayne laugh like that when he was supposed to be stoic.

But it’d been almost an hour since he’d been ditched by the boy wonder, who apologetically insisted he just _had_ to go talk to this donor, and then that donor, and “oh no Conner you’d be bored just help yourself to some food.”

Kon picked up what must have been his fifth spinach puff and chewed angrily. He tried to remember what had happened before Tim had left. Kon had made a joke about Batman. Tim had laughed. Kon had said something teasing about Tim looking all handsome and proper, something about being a goody two shoes or Mr. Forbes. Tim had choked on his egg roll. Kon had pointed out Barbara talking to Dick. Tim hadn’t been paying attention. Kon had offered him his own half eaten egg roll cause he didn’t want the rest of it. Tim had very passionately declined it- which, kind of rude but okay. Kon had loosened his tie a bit just to do something with his hands. Tim had cleared his throat and said he had to go talk to someone, gesturing vaguely in the direction of either an older man or a very stern looking woman depending on which of his hand motions you followed. And that was it. Kon was stumped.

He’d started to tug on his tie again. He couldn’t think of what could have happened to make Tim avoid him. Unless... He examined the events again. Was he being too improper? Was he not classy enough? Had him cracking jokes and loosening his tie embarrassed Tim? Even if he had that was still pretty lame of Tim to just ditch him. He knew that this was a whole different world than when they were heroes or when they hung out and played video games, but that shouldn’t mean just ditching him.

Kon clicked his tongue. Fuck staying at the table, he was gonna go take a piss. He walked around the venue, his hands stuffed in his pockets, crinkling the suit’s well ironed fabric. He had no idea where the bathrooms were, but walking around the gala alone wasn’t any worse than just standing alone at a table, so he continued to search, not really putting that much effort in.

He gave nods of acknowledgment or simple greetings to those he knew, most of which were all members of the bat family, all who looked confused to see him alone, but politely greeted him back. At one point he passed a rather smug looking Jason who was laughing to himself, giving Kon an amused look as he passed. “Enjoy your night,” Jason had said with a smirk. For some reason that made Kon nervous. He picked up his pace.

Eventually he did find some bathrooms with marble floors and fancy faucets that were like waterfalls. Looked sleek, shit water pressure. _Sometimes things that are expensive are worse._ Kon wet his hands and pressed them to his face to cool it down. He didn’t know when he’d started to feel so hot. His Kryptonian blood should prevent that. “Stop being so dramatic.” He told his reflection. “Just find Tim and make him be a good host.” He dried his hands and walked out.

The bathroom was near some grandiose pillars that reached far up into some pictures of babies with wings and shit like that. The party’s soft music carried over from the main area and faded out. It was that old kinda jazzy music they play in Olive Garden. Lots of Michael Bublé. Kon wanted breadsticks.

His thoughts on knock-off Italian food however were cut short by the sound of movement not too far too behind him, away from the main party and behind some more of those tall pillars. Kon thought he’d been the only person in this part of the building but he now detected two heartbeats. And one seemed familiar.

Curious, Kon took a few steps in the direction of the noise, his eyes catching a flash of burgundy. What Kon saw next had him wishing he’d stayed near the snacks. There was Robin, leader, fighter, CEO, friend. His best friend. And to be honest, the one Kon had been harboring a lame crush on for who knows how long. And he was kissing someone.

Dazed and against a pillar, Tim was being kissed open mouthed by some lanky millionaire’s son with curly brown hair that had been greased back for decorum’s sake, but there was nothing polite about how his tongue was down Tim’s throat.

“What the _FUCK_ ”

Conner wondered who had said those words, then realized it was him.

Tim looked up as if in a haze, his eyes darting wildly. “Wha-?” Tim blinked. The boy he was with looked annoyed. “Kon?” Tim said as if he wasn’t sure Conner was really there. But Conner was there. And so was Tim. And so was this stupid stranger that had made Tim’s lips swollen. Conner was so angry. He’d been so stupid.

“This party sucks.” Was all he found himself saying as he turned on his heel and started to make his way towards the nearest exist.

He didn’t even really know where he was going. His vision was blurry with anger and what threatened to be tears. He had a tendency to cry when he was furious. He didn’t look up to see who would see him storming out, people were just flashes of color. All of his focus was on not using his super strength or heat vision to destroy everything around him.

He only vaguely noticed what could have been the sounds of someone chasing after him. Maybe even calling his name.

Stupid gala. Stupid fancy suit. Stupid cuff links. Stupid tie. Stupid feelings. Stupid Tim.

He somehow found a lobby. His hand was reaching to push open the glass door and rush into the humid Gotham night when he felt someone stop him. And there was Tim. Breathless. Unsteady on his feet. Tugging on the back of his suit jacket. “Wait Kon please!” Tim gasped out as he caught his breathe.

Kon shrugged him off and took a step back. Tim looked hurt at that, but there was something else off about him. Had he been drinking?

“Conner where are you going what’s wrong?” Tim asked.

Kon almost laughed at that. “Do you think I’m DUMB?” He shouted, his voice cracking.

“Why are you so upset?” Tim still looked so confused, so out of it.

“Oh I don’t know why don’t you just stick your tongue down someone’s throat again,” Kon spat back, his hands in fists at his side.

Tim looked slightly embarrassed at that, “What? I-“

“Why did you invite me here?” Kon cut him off, “This is so dumb. Sorry I’m not high society enough for you- or that I’m so boring that you had to ditch me at a party you invited me to to go make out with some greasy fuckin stranger.”

Tim gaped at him.

Kon continued, “Shit Tim, if you like kissing so much why let me stop you? Go back there and kiss every socialite in Gotham for all I care.”

Tim’s face was flushing in shame. He touched his fingers to his own lips, still swollen, “I didn’t think you’d care that I was...ya know.”

“I DON’T care. Didn’t I just say I don’t care? I don’t! Go make out with Alfred for all I care. That’s how much I don’t care!”

“Then why are you yelling?”

Kon snapped back. “Geez, Tim, I don’t know, why are YOU tipsy and kissing strangers??” He turned to walk out again, but Tim rushed forward and stopped him again, his fingers trembling as he held tight to Conner’s suit.

He looked at Tim’s hands and then at Tim who jumped away, his frantic words tumbling out like he was throwing spaghetti at the wall praying to any god that it would stick. “I don’t- I don’t know why I was-,” He stumbled over his words, frustrated and terrified and still not completely sober. That much Kon could tell.

“I don’t usually do this I don’t go around kissing people I just. I was talking to some donors and Jason offered me a few drinks and I took them because I just needed to relax cause I was thinking way too much. I hate how much I THINK all the time,” he was hyperventilating now, refusing to meet Kon’s gaze.

“I just needed liquid courage or whatever I don’t know and I couldn’t stop thinking still and I thought if I kissed someone I didn’t care about I could get over y-“ Tim slammed his hand over his mouth in horror, eyes wide and frozen on Kon’s face.

“Get over what?” Kon pressed. Tim looked away refusing to make eye contact. Were his hands shaking?

“Jesus, Tim get over WHAT?” Kon blinked back tears. He just wanted his best friend to talk to him.

There was a pause and Tim replied very softly, so that only Conner’s super hearing could pick it up.

“You.”

The one word took all the air out of Kon’s lungs. His mouth hung open and he blinked. Tim actually liked him back.

Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. Who was so smart and so stupid. Who stayed up way too late and never took care of himself but would bend over backwards to take care of those around him. Who wasn’t as good at Mario kart as he thought he was. Who could somehow be so good at public speaking but was absolute shit at talking to his friends sometimes. He liked Kon. He noticed the rain had stopped.

“Well fuck....” was all he found himself saying.

Tim flinched, misunderstanding what Conner meant by that. “I’m... I’m _sorry_ ” Tim said, his voice cracking and getting high at the end of the statement.

“Fuck no that’s not what I mean,” Kon took a step towards him.

“What do you mean?” He was doing his best to swallow tears.

“Just! Don’t do that!” Kon said, gesturing wildly.

Somehow this made Tim’s efforts to hide his tears crumble a little more. Kon swore inwardly.

“Just! DON’T! Stop... just don’t...” Conner said, continuing to be unhelpful.

Tim’s face twisted in further hurt, “Don’t?” He swallowed and chewed his lip, “I... I’m trying Kon I promise I’m trying not to have these feelings and I, I’m so sorry I-“

“No no no!” Conner said waving his hands frantically, “I mean don’t get over them!”

Tim just looked more confused, dazed from the champagne and emotional fatigue. “What do you mean don’t get over them?”

“Well cause I obviously fucking like you too idiot wonder”

“You... you what?”

Kon rubbed his temples “Best detective my ass.”

“You... you don’t hate me?” Tim said, bewildered.

Conner rolled his eyes and carefully took another step towards Tim as if approaching one of the animals on the Kent Farm. Slowly using his tie to wipe at the wet on Tim’s tear-stained face. “To be honest Rob, for a while there I wasn’t sure if you hated me. Seriously, who ditches someone like that?”

Tim’s face heated up in embarrassment. “Ah I- I’m really sorry about that that wasn’t... that wasn’t cool in any way”

“No it wasn’t,” Conner said simply, letting his tie flop back against his chest after cleaning Tim’s face. “So why’d you do it?”

Tim let out an exasperated breath, his brow furrowing as he once again avoided meeting Conner’s gaze. Kon noticed Tim’s heart rate had picked up. Tim played with his fingers, picking at the skin around a fingernail and he struggled to respond.

“So I guess I just. Um. You look ah. I guess I’m just not used to seeing you in a suit and...” he cleared his throat “You look better than I expected. Ah- not that I think you’d look bad. Just that ah.” He rolled back and forth and his heels, shifting his weight, “I mean don’t get a big head farm boy I just mean that you look... nice.”

“Yeah?” Conner said, quirking an eyebrow and doing everything in his power not to smile at that. He wanted Tim to continue talking.

Tim pressed his lips into a thin line and dared a quick glance at Kon before continuing. “Mhmm.” Kon heard his heart rate pick up again. “Anyway I, well like I said I’ve been trying to um, deal with stuff... and feelings,” he waved a hand in the air at ‘feelings’ as if hoping to make it more casual, “and with the suit and you kept being funny and smiling at me and I- to be honest I was scared you’d notice or you’d hear my heartbeat or something.”

“Ah.” Kon said simply.

“Ah.” Tim replied. Another steadying breath, “so I ran away. Like a coward.” He gave himself a self deprecating smile. “I promise I didn’t mean to be away for more than five minutes- just to catch my breathe, collect my thoughts but then...”

He didn’t finish the statement.

They stood there in silence. The last droplets of rains dripping down the buildings windows, the carpet beneath their feet muffling the sounds around them. They stood there, not uncomfortably, in the quiet for a moment.

Conner went to open his mouth when a couple came through the party entrance laughing about something, Tim and Kon turning away from them awkwardly until their idle chatter evaporated into the city beyond as they left the building.

“Here ah…” Conner said, carefully taking Tim’s hand in his own. Tim started at Kon’s touch. His hands were cold. His heart beat fast again. Kon could get used to the sound of that.

“Let’s go somewhere more private.”

Tim raised his eyebrows but didn’t resist when Conner led him towards the doors and led him into the humid night air, the pavement wet from the previous downfall. He didn’t resist when he looked around and led him around the vast building, looking for a rare spot that didn’t boast massive windows.

And when Kon found that spot and gently gestured for Tim to climb into his arms, Tim still didn’t resist, only gave Kon a disapproving look and said “don’t get caught” glancing around to make sure they wouldn’t be seen.

And then they were in the air. The cool and damp night air gently kissing their skin as Conner carefully landed on the rooftop, allowing Tim to steady himself as his feet touched the concrete. Their suits were gonna be so wrinkled. Sorry Alfred. Sorry Ma.

Though he let Tim go Kon didn’t step back, steeling himself. Tim took a half step back and then stopped. He wasn’t looking at Kon directly. Conner worried at first he might still be feeling wary of him after their shouting match, but as he stared at Tim’s hair blowing softly in the post-shower breeze Tim shivered and tucked a strand behind his ear, the tip of which Kon noticed was pink. Just embarrassed than. He could work with that.

“Are you uh.. cold?” Conner said softly. Why did his voice sound like that? Is that what his voice always sounded like? He wasn’t sure.

Tim bit his lip, “I’m um. I’m fine,” he gave a small smile.

_Liar._

Conner slipped the blazer off his broad shoulders and draped it over Tim’s own blazer without comment. Tim went to protest but Conner cut him off, “You’re shivering and I literally can’t get cold. Take it.”

Tim shut his mouth and tugged the blazer tighter around his shoulders, doing his best to hide a smile. Kon took a deep breath, but before he could speak Tim broke the silence. “So did you mean what you said back there? That you.. that you like me?”

Conner softly hit him on the back of the head, no real force behind it, “Of course I meant it loser. I wouldn’t joke about that.”

Tim seemed to relax at Conner acting like they usually did, though he was failing pretty badly at hiding a smile now. “Oh,” He said. “Dope.”

Kon laughed. “Dope??”

“Shut up” Tim said, but there was no malice behind it, all small smiles and pink cheeks.

“And you uh… like me too?” Conner looked at Tim out of the corner of his eye.

“Well duh.” Tim said rolling his eyes. As if Kon had asked if the sky was blue. Or if Gotham had a high crime rate.

“Dope.” Kon said, grinning. Tim pushed him. Kon let him, laughing.

Slowly, the cool night air brushing against their cheeks, Tim reached over and knocked the back of his hand against Conner's, who knocked back before taking his hand in his own. Tim’s hand was more calloused than Kon expected, his own hands soft from invulnerability. It was strange to note the difference. He gave a small squeeze. Tim squeezed back.

Kon turned to face him, intertwining their fingers and bringing his hand up to cup the side of Tim’s face. Tim didn’t breathe. His blue eyes looked into Conner’s own blue iris’s like the ocean observing the sky, searching his face for what he might do next.

Conner rubbed the pad of his thumb across a barely visible scar on Tim’s cheek. “Hey boy wonder.” music drifted from the party below, “Can I kiss you?”

Tim rushed forward and crashed his mouth against Conner’s, as if worried he’d change his mind. He wouldn’t have. Kon noted that Tim’s lips were cold and slightly chapped against his own. The pressure was comforting, gentle. There was a nervousness for a moment, but when Conner kissed him back Tim gripped on to his dress shirt to ground them both, deepening the kiss. Yeah, definitely gonna be wrinkled.

Kon moved his hand from Tim’s cheek to the back of his neck, and Tim took that as a good moment to swipe his tongue along Kon’s bottom lip, who opened his mouth in response. And then there was tongue. He was kissing his best friend with tongue.

Dope could not begin to describe it. But yeah, it was dope.

At first it was almost too much at once. Clumsy. Too much tongue and too much teeth but then as they settled into a rhythm, Kon couldn’t imagine doing anything but kissing Tim. He took control of the kiss, to Tim’s resistance at first. The bird really didn’t like giving up control. In most anything. But Conner was on a mission.

For every image of Tim kissing that stupid rich kid that was burned into his brain he was gonna kiss Tim ten times harder. He pressed his tongue against Tim’s in a practiced manner, using his other hand to brush his thumb against Tim’s hip bone. He was gonna make Tim forget that other kiss even existed.

Their breathing become more shallow, and as they parted to catch it Kon bit gently on Tim’s lower lip. Tim made a noise somewhere between a moan and a whimper and immediately hid his face in Kon’s chest, mortified. Kon laughed.

“DUDE,” Tim said with a groan.

“Sorry, sorry,” Kon laughed, rubbing circles into Tim’s back and kissing the top of his hair, not sorry at all.

Tim thoughtfully swiped his tongue across his own bottom lip, as if trying to taste Kon on them. Kon felt his chest swell. Why was that endearing?

“So that was…” Tim began.

“Dope?” Conner offered, raising an eyebrow.

Tim laughed through his nose, “Yeah, that was dope.” He shook his head.

“So are we cool?” Tim asked, a hint of guilt still in his eyes.

Kon moved his arm around Tim’s shoulders to pull the shorter boy closer into him, “Yeah we’re cool.”

A tension left Tim’s shoulders that Kon hadn’t noticed was there.

“Just one thing,” Kon added, and a little of that tension returned.

“Sure, what is it?” Tim asked.

“I pick the party next time.” Kon winked, “Deal?”

A smile broke across Tim’s face, the tension once again fading.

“Deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Here's the song it's based off of, though I'm gonna be honest with you I wrote most of the end listening to It Girl by Jason Derulo:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aAQ33P3n_U


End file.
